Sheriff's Office sets up drop box for unwanted meds

Last year, the Leavenworth County Sheriff's Office began participating in National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day events sponsored by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.

John Richmeierjrichmeier@leavenworthtimes.com

Last year, the Leavenworth County Sheriff's Office began participating in National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day events sponsored by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.

Undersheriff Jim Sherley said these events are important, but they only occur twice a year.

But, Leavenworth County now has a site where people can drop off unwanted prescription medications anytime of the year.

The Sheriff's Office has set up a drop box at the Justice Center, 601 S. Third St., in Leavenworth. The Justice Center houses the Sheriff's Office, Leavenworth County Jail, District Court and other agencies.

"Our end goal is to get as many harmful drugs off the street as possible," Sherley said.

Sherley said the drop box was paid for by a grant from the National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators. He said the grant included the shipping cost.

"It was zero cost to the Sheriff's Office," he said.

He said the box arrived about 2.5 weeks ago. He said the Sheriff's Office is advertising the drop box on its website. The box also is registered with NADDI, and its location will be listed on that organization's website.

The box is located next to the visitor waiting area for the Leavenworth County Jail.

Sherley said security guards in the lobby of the Justice Center can direct people to the box's location.

People can access the box during the Justice Center's normal business hours, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Sherley said the drop box is intended for unwanted prescription drugs only.

He said having the drop-off site available year-round may avoid the risk of the wrong person ingesting prescription medication.

He said it also may reduce the risk of people flushing old medications down the toilet to get rid of them, which introduce the drugs into the water system.

Sherley said the design of the drop box prevents people from retrieving drugs that already have been deposited.

He said the drugs dropped into the box will be incinerated in the same manner as medications collected during the National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day events.

Sherley said the Sheriff's Office will continue to participate in the National Prescription Drug Take-Back program.

"That's been a good partnership," he said.

Other local law enforcement agencies also participate in National Prescription Drug Take-Back events.

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